No. 20 West Chester Tops Cal In Walk-Off Thriller, 4-3

Box Score

QUAKERTOWN, Pa. – West Chester University took advantage of a pair of errors in the bottom of the seventh inning to hang on and defeat California (Pa.), 4-3, in the first round of the 2017 PSAC Softball Tournament at Veterans Park Wednesday afternoon.
 
West Chester (41-10) advances into the winner's bracket and will play Seton Hill, which defeated Lock Haven, on Thursday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. The tournament schedule has been adjusted as a result of the impending Friday weather.
 
The Golden Rams started their game-winning rally with two outs and nobody on base. Alyssa Herion (Avon Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) hit a ball back to the pitcher's circle, and scurried down the line, beating the throw, which sailed wide of the mark and caromed down the right field line. Herion raced to second base.
 
Cat Hammer (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) then lined a ball at the second baseman, who fielded it, but threw wild over to first, allowing Herion to race around third and score the game-winning run. Hammer was responsible for West Chester's first three runs when she hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the first to put the Rams on top early, 3-0.
 
Cal climbed back into the game with a 2-run shot by Megan Jahoda. The Vulcans loaded the bases later that frame, but West Chester left-handed ace Amanda Houck (Gap, Pa./Pequea Valley) got out of the jam without any further damage.
 
Houck ran into some more trouble in the fifth, loading the bases, and then walking in the tying run. However, two comebackers to the circle ended the threat. Houck (28-3) went the distance to pick up the win. She allowed three runs on seven hits. She walked two and struck out six.
 
Her counterpart, Portia McBride (8-5), went the distance as well. She was the hard-luck loser, giving up four runs – only three of them earned – on eight hits. She walked two and struck out nine.